VILLAGERS are digging deep to raise cash to help pay for a community woodland on their doorsteps.

An appeal was launched in the Pendleside village of Fence, near Nelson, last month in a bid to create the first Woods on your Doorstep community woodland in Lancashire.

Just four weeks later more than £7,500 has been pledged locally to help fund the project.

Fund-raisers have until the end of January to raise around £11,000 as the community's contribution towards the cost of the scheme. The Millennium Commission will match the total raised.

The Woodland Trust wants to create 200 community woodlands across the country to celebrate the millennium. If local fund-raisers meet their target the Trust will buy nine acres of farming land next to Pendle Forest sports ground in the village and create a new wildlife habitat which will be open to the public.

Judith Stuttard, of the Trust, said: "We must thank local residents who have been busy making individual pledges and in addition a generous donation by a family run charitable trust has really boosted the appeal total.

"However we still have a long way to go. We still need to raise more than £3,000 to make certain that the project goes ahead.

"We have only a matter of weeks to achieve this target so we are asking everyone to dig deep and pledge what they can.

"Every pledge, however small, will make a real difference.

"We have yet to receive any sponsorship from local companies."

If enough pledges come in to meet the target local people will be invited to help design the woodland, select its name and help plant the first trees.

More information is available from Judith on 01484 609510.

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